“Is wine good for you or is it not?”

Believe it or not, I’ve occasionally encountered an argument against Mormonism that rests on the notion that moderate wine consumption would be better for us than following the Word of Wisdom as it’s currently interpreted.

And, in fact, there have been studies suggesting that red wine, imbibed in reasonable quantities, confers cardiovascular benefits.

But is this really the case?

Maybe.  Maybe not.  The argument continues:

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21696651-more-confusion-over-health-benefits-alcohol-wine-good-you-or-it

And, anyway, there are a whole host of reasons for avoiding alcohol that have little direct connection with heart and circulatory health.  For example, I’ve personally lost friends to accidents caused by drunk drivers.  And there is a history of occasional problems with the bottle in my non-LDS extended family.  Alcoholism damages lives.  Finally, of course, for Latter-day Saints the most powerful reason of all is (and should be) the belief that the Lord says “No.”